Mobile Technology Abounds at Smaller, but Sprawling CeBIT Show

The MakerBot 3D Printer Draws a Crowd

The MakerBot is a 3D printer made in the U.S., and it breaks new ground in affordability and ease of use. Here, the MakerBot is printing a turbine wheel in this photo, but the device can print nearly anything working from AutoCad drawings as well as from a number of other sources. Other desktop 3D printers have been only available as kits or were more expensive. And only a few would really fit on a desk. The MakerBot does both and sells for $2799.00.

The once massive, but still sprawling CeBIT electronics show in Hannover, Germany, was somewhat diminished in 2013. However, there was still plenty of interesting technology to see. This year there were more U.S. companies represented than we normally see at CeBIT, but overall, the show was smaller. This isn't particularly surprising given the difficulties of the European economy in the last year. Nor was it surprising that new mobile technology abounded at the show. But mobile technology wasn't the only thing there. Many of the new products emphasized collaboration, for example, and security technology was also prominent. In fact, some of the more innovative products were security-related. But CeBIT also includes products aimed at the manufacturing sector, which is why the MakerBot 3D printer was such a hit. But ultimately, mobile devices, especially tablets, were the area that showed the most growth. New tablets came from some companies you've haven’t heard of, including many that will never see the light of day in the U.S. But everywhere you looked, there were tablets. Here, eWEEK highlights some of the many IT products on display at CeBIT.